Military theater commands’ army HQs identified: source

China's newly established five military theater commands have disclosed the locations of their army headquarters, an insider told the Global Times.

The five theater commands, which are identified by their strategic locations in east, south, west, north and central China, will base their army headquarters in Fuzhou, Fujian Province; Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Lanzhou, Gansu Province; Jinan, Shandong Province and Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, respectively, an anonymous source told the Global Times.

The source said the joint command center will be located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Shenyang, Liaoning Province and Beijing.

Otherwise known as the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) battle zone commands, the five have replaced the former seven military area commands in Beijing, Nanjing, Chengdu, Ji'nan, Shenyang, Lanzhou and Guangzhou.

Infrastructure, including communication facilities in the previous seven military area commands, has been taken into consideration for the locations of the headquarters, so that follow-up work on military reform could start as soon as possible, said the anonymous source.

Under this system, the Central Military Commission (CMC) is the top command, the theater commands will be able to deploy forces in the region in combat, and each branch of the military will focus on training their respective troops.

The new system separates the combat and construction or logistic missions. The theater commands will focus on engagement, while the PLA army, navy and air force will focus on developing their respective forces, said the source.

All five commands are expected to have their own army and air force, while naval forces are not likely to be deployed by all five commands.

There's no need to build a temporary command system when war erupts, as the joint operations of each theater command will suffice, which is also helpful for troops to successfully fulfill their training and mission, said the source.

The five commands will only deploy their own force against security threats, and they need to report to the CMC for additional support, the source said.